


Steel, Eternal (We are Steel rewrite)

by EndlessExplorer



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4, Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:21:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28419036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndlessExplorer/pseuds/EndlessExplorer
Summary: A long time back, I made a story about what it would be like if the Sole Survivor was made Elder of the Brotherhood. The story fizzled out and died. But like the mighty phoenix, behold it's resurrection!
Relationships: Arthur Maxson & Female Sole Survivor, Cait & Female Sole Survivor, Female Sole Survivor & Piper Wright, John Hancock & Female Sole Survivor, Paladin Danse & Female Sole Survivor, Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor, Paladin Danse/Sole Survivor (Fallout), Sole Survivor & Nick Valentine
Kudos: 1





	Steel, Eternal (We are Steel rewrite)

The Vertibird shook as it followed Liberty Prime towards the ruins of C.I.T. It was finally time. The Brotherhood were marching against the Institute and Maxson was sending everything they had against them. Arthur felt a shiver travel along his spine, this must have been what Sarah and David must have felt marching against the Enclave. It was late autumn and despite the constant heat that came from living in an irradiated hellscape, there was a refreshing coolness in the air. Everyone knew what was coming and everyone was focused and ready. There was only going to be one outcome from this fight and Arthur was too stubborn to fall at the goalposts now.

“Destination inbound. 20 klicks and counting Elder.”

“Where’s Dukhov?”

Arthur looked over at Proctor Teagan who was staring out at the Commonwealth below. He was well used to Teagan’s obvious lack of decorum and if it weren’t for his peerless aptitude as a quartermaster, Arthur would have demoted him years ago.

“The Paladin has her own orders as do we. I urge you to focus on them Proctor.”

Teagan shrugged his shoulders before handing Arthur his personal Gatling Laser. “Ok. No hair off my back.”

“Beginning Descent. LZ is hot!”

Final Judgement glimmered in the early morning sunshine as the barrels began to spin. Arthur took aim and began to spray everything that moved on the ground below.

“FOR THE BROTHERHOOD!”

Suits of Power Armour began to fall from the sky as soldiers joined the fight against the Institute. Today, the fate of the Commonwealth would be decided in blood.

\--

Alexei held the side of the vent as the area around her began to shake violently. The duct she was crawling through was dark and confined but it was slick and sturdy. As much as the Institute boasted its self-sufficiency, they still had to get their air somehow. It only took Alexei an hour to find the duct in the depths of C.I.T. While Maxson and the others distracted the main force, she’d eliminate the leadership and open any locked doors that tried to stop the main force.

‘Keep them busy guys…’

Eventually, she reached an air duct and just as she was about to break through, she heard footsteps. Prone against the surface of the duct, she watched as two scientists rushed by, escorted by some Gen-1’s. One of them held a laser pistol but based on the tremor in his hands, he had no combat experience. She knew what she had to do; the Institute had to be eliminated. From the smallest piece, all the way to the top. Their experiments had scarred the Commonwealth and despite their proclamations of peace and betterment for everyone, they were a threat. She had done this before, infiltrating an enemy base and eliminating everyone inside. It was never easy, but it was occasionally necessary. She never liked it. Alexei took a back seat while the monster buried deep inside took over.

They didn’t put up much resistance. In fact no one did. No one even saw her coming. The heads of every department fell dead at her feet, their synth bodyguards never even noticing Alexei’s presence. It was easy and easy always hurt more.

Eventually she reached his office. Father. The sick monster that the Institute had created to spearhead the creation of countless lifelike synths. Her ‘grandchildren’. The thought made her uneasy. Synth Shaun wasn’t in his chamber anymore, a salve for the wound she was about to inflict on herself. A small turn of good luck.

The Courser protecting Father didn’t stop her. A swift and sure shot of her pistol took it down just the same as the humans it sought to replace. She put down her pistol, Father wasn’t a threat. He was dying if the ventilator and various monitors were anything to go by. Even if he had a grenade or small arm stashed nearby, it would result in little more than his own suicide.

“Mother.”

There it was. The word that at one point in her life had once meant a future of happy memories now left a bitter taste in her mouth. She stayed silent.

“Fitting that they would send you to do the deed. Stay a while and pull up a chair. I’ll be dead soon regardless.”

Alexei’s fingers tensed and eased on the stock of the pistol in her hand. She had a body count in the millions, he was a villain just like everyone else, but the pistol felt as heavy as a suit of power armour hanging off her arm.

“How does it feel to condemn the Commonwealth to an eternity of chaos and death. To damn parents and children to an unending future trapped in an irradiated hell!”

Her face displayed nothing, but her jaw was clenched so tight she was sure her teeth were about to explode. The look of pure hatred and anger was one she had seen a hundred times but never before had it hurt quite so much.

“You may believe that we are the monsters in this story but I’m happy that father isn’t alive to see the monster he married! To see the heartless creature that would damn the entire world for nothing more than small-mindedness and spite!”

A single shot rang out.

\--

Arthur stared at the door in front of him. The last thing before the reactor. A bulkhead that by the look of it would hold against an atom bomb. A scribe worked away tirelessly at the panel beside it, but the task seemed almost herculean.

“What is taking so long, Scribe?”

“I’m sorry Elder but the computer system is fighting me at every turn. Every time I take down a single firewall, a thousand others are put up in its place. I’ve never seen anything like this!”

“I would hate for the archives to read that a door was the victor in this fight. Get through it!”

Teagan shoved his way to the head of the group and levelled his shotgun with the door. “I’ll do it!” Just then, the door flew open and the synth that was just on the other side got a gut full of buckshot before his body seized and he froze. The group marched on and headed for the main reactor. Synths were coming out of everywhere and overhead laser turrets were providing cover fire. Progress was slow, but sure and steady. There was a barricade of synths in front of them, the institute were clearly throwing cannon fodder at them now.

The firing line began to fall apart as Synths were taken out meticulously and effortlessly. After a short time, the firing stopped but the Knights escorting Arthur and the Proctors kept their rifles level with the mound of dead synths until Alexei showed her head. Her face was calm and impassive.

“Paladin Dukhov, forgive me!” The knights urged. Alexei gave a small smile and waved it off before they spilled into the room behind her to secure it. Arthur squared his chest and shook Alexei’s hand before following her up towards the reactor alone. Arthur was the only one who knew of Alexei’s connection to the Institute and was more than happy to approve her solo mission when she had brought it up with him before the assault started. Despite a rather cold introduction, the two seasoned soldiers bonded and became very good friends.

“Are you alright, Paladin?”

“Perfectly, Elder.”

Arthur took a quick glance around, making sure that they were paid no attention.

“I should have you brought up for lying to your Elder, Alex.”

“Pretty certain I’m your Elder, Arthur.”

“I can only hope that I look as good as you do at 240 years.”

“I doubt you will. You worry too much… as for that other thing, yeah. It’s done. Who do you think opened the door for you?”

“Thank you.”

“Was just doing my job.” Alexei placed her hand on the outside shell of the reactor. Her Geiger counter went erratic. “Just as powerful as the bombs that took out Boston. Shouldn’t leave a trace of anything.”

Arthur gave a solemn shake of his head. “They say that you should always give your enemy the respect they deserve. Despite all their mistakes, the Institute could have helped humanity.”

“It’s too bad that they all turned out to be nothing but monsters.”

In the heavy silence that followed, Arthur was almost sure he could hear the pistol strain under Alexei’s fierce grip. Her face was eerily calm despite the storm raging beneath the surface.

“Proctor? The charge has been set. How is the teleporter coming along?”

“I almost have it Elder. Should be ready by the time you get here. Strange thing though.”

“Sorry, Proctor? What is?”

“A child showed up here. Keeps saying that he’s looking for his mom…”

Arthur’s brows knitted together in confusion. “Alex-?” Arthur watched as Alex leapt from the catwalk and ran for the teleporter. Following behind, he ordered the contingent of Paladins and Knights to scour the location quickly for useful technology before reporting to the teleporter. Arthur was no slouch, by any means, but even he had difficulty keeping up with Alexei. There were packs of synths and coursers stalking the halls, but she dealt with them with a vicious ruthlessness that reminded him of a Deathclaw matriarch. Danse had mentioned in reports about her speed, and agility, but he had never seen anything like it before. Finally, they reached the teleporter where he found Alexei standing motionless. A child had wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, clearly ecstatic to see her.

“Mom! I’m so happy to see you! Father said to find you before the reactor exploded.”

Proctor Ingram had stopped what she was doing when the child had jumped up and ran towards the Paladin. Now, her eyes jumped between Alexei, Arthur, and the strange child.

“Mom! It’s me! Shaun! Do you not remember me or something?”

Noticing that Ingram was still watching, Arthur told her to get back to work before approaching Alexei and Shaun. “Paladin? May I speak to you?” Now noticing Shaun staring at him, he quickly added “in private.”

Alexei seemed to finally come out of her reverie and ruffled Shaun’s hair before sending him off to watch Ingram. After making sure that they really were alone, Arthur pulled Alexei in close.

“Care to fill me in?”

“The universe completely fucking hates me?! That seems like the most obvious thing.”

“What are you-“

“I’m the butt of the galaxies joke! First, I watch my husband’s brains get splattered against the inside of a goddamn cryo pod. Then I trek across an irradiated hellhole to find my son, who it turns out is in charge of the Institute and is responsible for synths existing in the first place. I find out that he released me from the pod in order to be some little science experiment and in the end, I shot him.”

“I-“

Alexei threw her arms up in desperation as the flood gates began to buckle. “Yep! I shot my own son between the eyes as he looked at me like I was a monster. I stood there and watched as the life slowly left his body and felt some sort of cosmic justice had been done. He had Nate killed, I killed him. Now, it appears he wanted to take one last swing at me and sent him.”

Arthur looked over at the child sitting beside Ingram. He seemed so out of place and yet he also seemed like all this was normal. Soldiers marched around him wearing hulking suits of power armour and nothing seemed to faze him. He turned back to Alexei.

“We’ll get Cade to give him a full suite of tests when we get back to the Prydwen. I want to talk about this some more, but we have to get out of here. Can I count on you?”

Wiping her face on her sleeve, she quickly nodded her head before holstering her pistol and began to help the knights load their gear and other salvage into the teleporter. Shaun went with Arthur. As Arthur stared out at the Commonwealth from the roof of the mass fusion building, he began to watch Shaun who was asking a paladin some questions about the gatling laser he was holding. Not long after, Alexei and Ingram showed up in the last flash of light. Alexei came up and stood beside Arthur, who pulled out a small trinket from the inner pocket of his battlecoat.

“You do the honours, Paladin.”

Alexei flicked up the clasp to reveal a tiny red button.

“Goodbye…”

In a brilliant flash of light, The Institute had been defeated.


End file.
